Though the variety of themed attractions certainly take center stage at Universal Studios Hollywood’s Halloween Horror Nights, it’s hard to ignore the sweet treats and portable eats on display via strategically placed cart concessions and restaurants within the park.

Eric Kopelow, vice president and executive chef of Universal Studios Hollywood, and his team have created quite the line-up of horror-themed food items that are exclusively sold during Halloween Horror Nights. The theme park’s annual scare-a-thon features seven all-new mazes based on popular horror films and television shows and takes place on select evenings through Saturday, Nov. 4.

First of all, the oversized doughnuts ($6.99) that glow under a black light are hard to miss. Propped up on food carts and inside eatery windows, these giant discs of goodness stand out in all of their gory glory. Kopelow and his crew experimented with about two dozen different themed donuts, narrowing it down to a handful of frightful goodies that include a jack-o’-lantern, an eyeball, dirt and worms, a “murder” doughnut, which is a not-so-subtle nod to the attraction based on “The Shining,” and a bloody doughnut that includes severed marzipan fingers.

Eric Kopelow, vice president corporate executive chef, has some fun as he shows Halloween Horror Nights themed treats, glow in the dark donuts and more at Universal Studios Hollywood in Universal City on Friday, Oct. 13, 2017. (Photo by Ed Crisostomo, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

Eric Kopelow, left, vice president corporate executive chef, and his staff JC Pulido, from left, Priscilla Tejeda, and Michelle Acosta have some fun as they show Halloween Horror Nights themed treats, glow in the dark donuts and more at Universal Studios Hollywood in Universal City on Friday, Oct. 13, 2017. (Photo by Ed Crisostomo, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

“We took the idea of having the Springfield doughnut, which is a frosty doughnut and it’s fun and playful, and turning it into these death-defying doughnuts that would fit the genre,” Kopelow said. “It’s just about being creative and thinking about what scares people and what’s a little eerie.”

They also took a few of the fan-favorite doughnuts from Voodoo Doughnut, located out at the Universal CityWalk, and “put them on steroids.” They took The Loop raised yeast donut and the classic Voodoo Doll, a playful little guy with a mischievous scowl and a pretzel stake jabbed straight through his raspberry jelly-filled heart and nearly tripled them in size ($7.99).

“The Voodoo Doll is exactly the same as the one out at CityWalk, but he weighs nearly a pound,” Kopelow pointed out. “Sure, it could feed a family of four, or just one, depending on how hungry you are.”

In keeping with the sweets theme, Kopelow’s team created some really fun chocolate and red velvet cupcakes ($4.99). These adorable and hearty cupcakes are located throughout the park and are almost too cute to eat. They come in a variety of designs including an eye ball, a bat, Frankenstein, a mummy, candy corn, tombstone and a delicious marshmallow topped ghost.

All of the food is Snapchat worthy and Kopelow enjoys seeing Halloween Horror Nights fans not only eating, but interacting with his food. He’s seen fans pull the marzipan fingers off of the donuts and use them to scare their friends and he’s also watched groups buy the non-alcoholic, juice-filled “blood bags” ($12) and Jell-O-filled syringes (2 for $9.99) and use them as props for their social media posts.

Related Articles

“That’s fun to see because when you create something that’s a home run and people are buying it, it feels so good,” he said. “It’s fun to watch people with the donuts and they’re in the beer garden pulling off the fingers and putting them into their beer or whatever.”

Keeping in mind that park guests are going to be on the move, rushing from attraction to attraction and often waiting in line, Kopelow’s staff tried to come up with dinner-style menu items that were more portable. Though full, sit-down restaurant options are available, they took some of the park’s favorite savory eats and made them easier to scarf down on the go.

The Cheeseburger Burrito ($10.99) takes the classic cheeseburger – meat, cheese, sauce, lettuce, tomato and pickle – and wraps it all snugly into a large tortilla. It’s a biggie, and could probably be split between two people. The half-pound specialty corn dog is easy to take since it’s served on a stick, but it’s not your average corn dog. This one is covered with a nacho-style cheese after it has been fried and then it is dusted with crumbled Flaming Hot Cheetos ($10.99). It’s an odd combination of flavors that come together in one very tasty, cheesy and spicy taste bud experience. Again, this is a big ol’ dog and could be ordered to share.

Now, the French toast sandwiches ($7.99), those you’ll want to keep to yourself. Served in the taco and sandwich trucks down on the back lot near the Ash vs Evil Dead, American Horror Story: Roanoke and Saw: The Games of Jigsaw attractions, these are really a treat.

“Instead of just doing a traditional bread, we made the sandwiches on French toast,” Kopelow said. “We made one with Philly cheese steak and then we have a grilled cheese stuffed with macaroni and cheese, applewood smoked bacon and tomato.”

Kelli Skye Fadroski lives for entertainment. She’s worked at The Orange County Register since 2006 and has covered all things music, stand-up comedy, horror and more. When she’s not out reviewing a concert or interviewing some random famous person, she’s catching up on episodes of “The Walking Dead,” somewhere sampling craft beer, enjoying Taco Tuesday or yelling at the contestants through the TV on “Celebrity Name Game” for not knowing basic pop culture trivia. She’s also a diehard Detroit Lions fan.

Join the Conversation

We invite you to use our commenting platform to engage in insightful conversations about issues in our community. Although we do not pre-screen comments, we reserve the right at all times to remove any information or materials that are unlawful, threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, obscene, vulgar, pornographic, profane, indecent or otherwise objectionable to us, and to disclose any information necessary to satisfy the law, regulation, or government request. We might permanently block any user who abuses these conditions.

If you see comments that you find offensive, please use the “Flag as Inappropriate” feature by hovering over the right side of the post, and pulling down on the arrow that appears. Or, contact our editors by emailing moderator@scng.com.